Prof. Dr. Lutz Hein

Research activities of the group of Lutz Hein are focussed on signaling mechanisms in the cardiovascular system. Previous studies have determined the physiological and pharmacological significance of angiotensin and adrenoceptor subtypes (e.g. AT2- and a2A,B,C-receptors) and signaling molecules (e.g. phosducin) which are important for neuroendocrine control in chronic heart failure. More recently, the group has identified epigenetic mechanisms (e.g. miR-143/145, MeCP2) of cardiovascular regulation. In order to better understand cell type-specific signaling mechanisms, we have developed methods to purify cardiomyocyte nuclei from intact cardiac tissue by fluorescence-assisted sorting and to generate whole genome DNA methylation and chromatin modification maps by methylC-seq and ChIP-seq. We will apply these methods to generate epigenomes of essential cardiac cell types during development, postnatal maturation and disease and integrate these maps with signaling mechanisms which are relevant during disease development.